Workspace dividing system with integrated viewing portal

ABSTRACT

A system for dividing a workspace includes a wall designed to divide the workspace into a workspace and an area outside of the workspace. The wall includes a variety of features such as a slit extending horizontally across at least a portion of the wall at a level designed to provide individuals seated within the interior workspace with a constant view of the area outside of the workspace at both an immediate periphery of the wall as well as areas at a distance from the wall. Furthermore, the slit includes dimensions configured to provide individuals located in the area outside of the workspace with a view into the interior workspace when at a distance from the wall and restrict individuals located in the area outside of the workspace from views into the interior workspace when in close proximity to the wall. Also, the wall may include other feature such as a visual shield extending thereabove and a lining formed by a composite construction element.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on provisional application 60/744,320 filedApr. 5, 2006 entitled “Workspace Dividing System” and claims the benefitthereof.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to workspace dividing systems and, moreparticularly, to a modular workspace dividing system for use inconstructing open concept office structures.

In modern work environments it is often desirable to create“non-traditional” offices, conference rooms, and the like. That is, itis often economically advantageous and aesthetically appealing toremodel buildings not originally designed to house traditional officespace. For example, it is increasingly common to remodel largeindustrial buildings such as factories or warehouses to accept“open-concept” office designs. In these cases, open-concept officedesigns are often employed in order to make non-traditional officespaces more amenable to workflows and business procedures.

One primary component of open-concept office designs is the use ofdivider systems. That is, while it is desirable and economicallyefficient to have numerous workstations collocated within a large openroom, it is still necessary to provide barriers between workspaces andto provide individuals with a sense of personal space. In this regard,open-concept office designs must constantly balance the dichotomycreated by the advantages to having large, open work environments sharedby many individuals and the desire for and advantages provided bycreating personal space within a work environment.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a system and method forcreating structures within an open-concept office that by createpersonal space within a work environment while still providing the feel,look, and various advantages provided by large, open work environmentsthat can be shared by many individuals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks byproviding a divider or wall system that is flexible and modular. Eachwall includes numerous features that are readily adaptable tonon-traditional offices and aid in creating structures, such as meetingor conference rooms, within open concept office spaces.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a wall system fordividing a workspace is disclosed that includes a wall designed todivide an area into a workspace and an area outside of the workspace.The wall includes a slit extending horizontally across at least aportion of the wall at a level designed to provide individuals seatedwithin the workspace with a constant view of the area outside of theworkspace at both an immediate periphery of the wall as well as areas ata distance from the wall. Furthermore, the slit includes dimensionsconfigured to provide individuals located in the area outside of theworkspace with a view into the workspace when at a distance from thewall and restrict individuals located in the area outside of theworkspace from views into the workspace when in close proximity to thewall.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a wall constructionelement is disclosed that includes a sheet of metal configured to beself supporting and a layer of cushioning material configured to encasethe sheet of metal to form a composite construction element that is freeof sharp edges. The composite construction element is configured to bemounted to a wall having a top, bottom, and two sides configured todivide an area into a workspace and an area outside of the workspace.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a system isdisclosed that includes a wall having a top, bottom, and two sidesconfigured to divide an area into a workspace and an area outside of theworkspace. A visual shield is included that extends from the top of thewall at an angle away from the wall to provide visual privacy toindividuals located within the workspace.

In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, a dividersystem is disclosed that includes a wall having a top, bottom, and twosides configured to divide an area into a workspace and an area outsideof the workspace. A visual shield extends from the top of the wall at anangle away from the wall to provide visual privacy to individualslocated within the workspace.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a divider systemis disclosed that includes a wall having a top, bottom, and two sidesconfigured to divide an area into a workspace and an area outside of theworkspace. A seat back is located in the workspace and is positionedproximate to and spaced from the wall. Accordingly, a space is formedbetween the seat back and the wall to accommodate at least one of lightsand display elements.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a divider system isdisclosed that includes a round wall having a vertically, flat interiorwall configured to divide an area into a workspace and an area outsideof the workspace. A seat extends from the interior wall that supports aseat back positioned proximate to and extending substantially parallelto the interior wall to focus individuals toward a common point withinthe workspace.

In accordance with an additional aspect of the invention, a workspacedivider system is disclosed that includes a wall including vertical wallportions and angled shield portions configured to divide an area into aworkspace and an area outside of the workspace. Furthermore, thevertical wall portions and angled shield portions are dimensioned sothat a person of average height, located in the area outside of theworkspace, cannot see into the workspace but can see over the wall.

In accordance with one further aspect of the invention, a wall isdisclosed that includes a top, bottom, and two sides configured todivide a workspace into a workspace and an area outside of theworkspace. The wall is at least partially formed of a meltable materialthat, when positioned proximate to another wall, can be melted andsmoothed to at least reduce an appearance of seams between the wall andthe another wall.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, an open conceptmeeting room is disclosed that includes a plurality of walls configuredto divide an area into a workspace and an area outside of the workspaceand a bench extending from the plurality of walls into the workspace tofocus individuals seated on the bench toward a common point within theworkspace. A plurality of legs extends from the bench to support theplurality of walls through the bench. Furthermore, a first shieldextends up from a top of the plurality of walls and inward into theworkspace to provide visual privacy to the workspace while a secondshield extends down from a bottom of the plurality of walls and inwardunder the bench to mirror an appearance of the first shield.

Various other features of the present invention will be made apparentfrom the following detailed description and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an open concept meeting room inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the open concept meeting room of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 a is a cross-sectional view of a wall assembled of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 3 b is a cross-sectional view of a wall designed for use in avariety of workspace areas;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a wall including a lighting ordisplay device;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the open concept meeting room of FIG. 3a;

FIG. 6 is a close-up view of a seam formed between walls assembled intothe open concept meeting room of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a plurality of walls arranged into another openconcept meeting room;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a plurality of walls arranged into another openconcept meeting room;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of a single wall designed to beincorporated into traditional wall systems; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a composite construction elementdesigned for use in the wall systems of FIGS. 1-10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an open-concept office meeting or conference room10 includes a plurality of walls 12, 14, 16. The walls 12, 14, 16 breakthe general workspace into an workspace 18 and an area 20 outside of theworkspace 18. Extending horizontally from an interior wall of each wall12, 14, 16 is a bench or seat 22, 24, 26, beneath which extends aplurality of legs, generally designated 28. Accordingly, the pluralityof legs 28 supports the walls 12, 14, 16 through the seats 22, 24, 26.Extending from a top portion of each wall 12, 14, 16 are respectiveshields 30, 32, 34, which are mirrored by similar shields 36, 38, 40that extend from a bottom of each wall 12, 14, 16 under each seat 22,24, 26 and into the workspace 18.

Formed in each of the walls 12, 14, 16 and extending horizontallythereacross are a plurality of aligned slits 42, 44, 46. The slits 42,44, 46 extend from the area 20 outside of the workspace 18 through thewalls 12, 14, 16 and into the workspace 18. The slits 42, 44, 46 arepositioned at a vertical height in the walls 12, 14, 16 (for example, atapproximately four feet) designed to provide individual seats within theworkspace 18 with a constant line of sight through the slits 42, 44, 46and provide a view of the area 20 outside of the workspace 18 at both animmediate periphery 50 about the walls 12, 14, 16 as well as areas at adistance 52 from the walls 12, 14, 16. According to one embodiment, theslits 42, 44, 46 have a vertical height of greater than 1 inch but lessthan 4 inches. Furthermore, as will be explained, the slits 42, 44, 46and walls 12, 14, 16 include dimensions configured to provideindividuals in the area 20 outside of the workspace 18 located at adistance 52 from the walls 12, 14, 16 with a view into the workspace 18,but restrict individuals located at a close proximity 50 to the walls12, 14, 16 from viewing the workspace 18 so as to provide those locatedin the workspace 18 with visual privacy.

Similarly, the shields 30, 32, 34 provide visual privacy to individualsseated within the workspace 18 by restricting a line of sight 54 fromthe area 20 outside of the workspace 18 into the workspace 18, even whenan individual of average height is standing in close proximity to thewalls 12, 14, 16. That is, while it is contemplated and, in someapplications even preferred, that the walls 12, 14, 16 extend above thelegs 28 to a total height of less than that of an average individual'sstanding height (for example, between four and five feet), as will bedescribed with respect to FIGS. 3 and 6, the dimensions andconfiguration of the shields 30, 32, 34 restrict the line of sight 54from an individual of average height attempting to view the workspace18. However, at this same time, the overall height of the legs 28, walls12, 14, 16, and shields 30, 32, 34 is such that a line of sight 56extending over the conference room 10 is readily available to anindividual of average height. It should be noted that the conferenceroom 10 includes a highly aesthetic appearance created by multiple linesof symmetry included in the design. For example, the walls 12, 14, 16include an arc or bow 58 extending vertically along the exterior surfaceof the walls 12, 14, 16 where apex 60 of the bow 58 is located in aproximate midpoint of the vertical rise of the walls 12, 14, 16.Furthermore, the shields 30, 32, 24 extending vertically from the walls12, 14, 16 are mirrored by the return shields 36, 38, 40 extending beloweach wall 12, 14, 16.

As previously described, the vertically extending shields 30, 32, 34provide visual privacy to individuals seated within the workspace 18and, as will be described, also provide some auditory separation betweenthe workspace 18 and the area 20 outside of the workspace 18. On theother hand, the downwardly extending return shields 36, 38, 40 not onlymirror the vertically extending shields 30, 32, 34 and provideaesthetically appealing symmetry in the overall design of the conferenceroom 10, but also allow for a reduced amount of materials to be used inthe walls 12, 14, 16 while still providing the feeling of being fullyenclosed to individuals located within the workspace 18. In this regard,significant manufacturing and materials cost savings can be realizedover traditional wall systems that include walls that extend completelyto the floor. That is, the walls 12, 14, 16 are suspended above thefloor through a combination of the plurality of legs 18 and the seats20, 24, 26, which together support the walls 12, 14, 16.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a plan view of the meeting room 10 furtherillustrates the symmetrical appearance formed by the rounded design ofthe meeting room 10. As also viewable from above, in accordance with oneembodiment, the seats 22, 24, 26 extend beyond the shields 30, 32, 34such that the majority of the workspace 18 is not enclosed from above.Furthermore, as will be described, the vertical and horizontal extent ofthe shields 30, 32, 34 is less than the horizontal extent of the seats22, 24, 26. This design allows the walls 12, 14, 16 to have a reducedheight while still presenting individuals located within the workspace18 with a feeling of privacy from the area 20 outside of the workspace18.

By arranging the seats 22, 24, 26 against the walls 12, 14, 16 (asopposed to arranging desks and other work surfaces against a wall, as intraditional partitioned workspaces), individuals seated in the workspace18 are focused toward a common point 62 located at the center of theworkspace 18 (as opposed to being focused toward one of the walls). Assuch, the meeting room 10 inherently prepares individuals entering theworkspace 18 for collaborative meetings. As will be described below,additional display or communication devices can be integrated into themeeting room 10 in a manner so as to maintain the collaborative focus ofthe meeting room 10.

Referring now to FIG. 3 a, a cross section of one of the walls 16 showsthat extending up from the seat 26 is a seat back 64. It should be notedthat the seat back 64 is displaced from the wall 16 such that a space 66is formed between the seat back 64 and the wall 16. As shown in FIG. 4,this space 66 may be filled with lighting or display elements 68designed cast ambient light or projection displays onto the shield 34extending above the wall 16. In this regard, the shield 34 not onlyserves as a visual shield but also a projection surface on which todisplay and review materials to be discussed within the meeting room 10.Furthermore, by projecting from various points around the meeting room10, the visual shield 34 becomes an active surface that is integratedinto the meeting room 10. In this regard, individuals seated within theworkspace 18 can easily view and review materials displayed on theshield 34 without being forced to turn substantially from the commonfocus point 62 of FIG. 2. Accordingly, the meeting room 10 furtherfacilitates open and continuous meetings and conversations betweenindividuals within the workspace 18.

Referring again to FIG. 3 a, as discussed above, the slit 46 and wall 16include dimensions configured to provide individuals in the area 20outside of the workspace 18 located at a distance 52 from the wall 16with a view into the workspace 18, but restrict individuals located at aclose proximity 50 to the wall 16 from viewing the workspace 18. In thisregard, the wall 16 and the shield 34 work in concert to provide visualprivacy to individuals located in the workspace 18. That is, byincluding the shields 30, 32, 34, the walls 12, 14, 16 may have a heightof less than 4½ feet and, when a visual shield having a vertical rise ofless than 2½ feet is arranged to extend therefrom, the privacy providedby the combined configuration is greater than a structure having aheight of 7 feet because the horizontal run of the shields 30, 32, 34extending into the workspace 18 blocks visual lines originating above aheight of, for example, 7 feet.

While these dimensions are exemplary for particular embodiments, it iscontemplated that other arrangements may facilitate reduced heightswhile still providing the above-described privacy features. For example,referring now to FIG. 3 b, the features discussed above can be extendedto a more generalized wall system by removing the seat 26 and seat back64 described with respect to FIG. 3 a. According to this arrangement, anindividual may be seated so as to face the wall 16. In this regard, theoverall height of the wall 16 and shield 34 may be reduced while stillproviding the individual seated in the workspace 18 and proximate to thewall 16 with the privacy from individuals located in the area outside 20of the workspace 18 at a distance from the wall 16. Furthermore, evenwith reduced dimensions, sight lines 71 are available to the individuallocated in the workspace 18 so that a view of the area outside 20 of theworkspace 18 is provided to the individual located in the workspacewhile an individual located in an area 50 near the wall 16 cannot seeinto the workspace 18. That is, since the individual can be seatedproximate to and facing the wall 16, a consistent view of areasproximate to 50 as well as at a distance from 52 the wall 16 isavailable. On the other hand, even when the heights of the wall 16 andshield 24 are reduced, only individuals located at a distance 52 fromthe wall 16 can see through the slit 46.

Referring again to FIG. 3 a, not only does the shield 34 form a visualbarrier to provide privacy and intimacy to individuals located withinthe workspace 18, though secondary in nature, the shield 34 also acts asan acoustic barrier between individuals in the area 20 outside of theworkspace 18 and individuals located in the workspace 18. In fact, dueto the vertical rise and horizontal run of the shield 34 above the wall16 and into the workspace 18, the shield also serves to focus soundsproduced within the workspace 18 toward the central point 62 of FIG. 2as well as to deflect sounds produced within the area 20 outside of theworkspace 18 from interfering with conversations held within theworkspace 18.

The seat 26 and wall 16 extending therefrom are supported by the leg 28positioned inwardly of the return shield 40. It is contemplated that onewall 16 and associated seat 26 may be supported by as few as one leg 28.In this regard, one wall 16, seat 26, and leg 28 will be unable to beself-supporting in the upright position. However, when combined with oneor more additional walls 12, 14, such as shown in FIG. 2, the walls 12,14, 16 are readily capable of remaining upright.

Alternatively, each wall 12, 14, 16 and respective seats 22, 24, 26 maybe supported by additional legs 70 (as shown in phantom). In thisregard, as shown in FIG. 5, the legs 28, 70 may be staggered so thateach individual wall 12, 14, 16 is capable of self support and, whencombined with other wall segments, the overall meeting room 10 is madefurther robust.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it is contemplated that the walls 12, 14, 16may be joined in a variety of different ways. For example, adjacentseats 24, 26 may be joined by way of bolts 72 or similar fasteners.Furthermore, exterior walls 74 of adjacent walls 14, 16 may be joined byheating the walls 14, 16 until the exteriors 74 become malleable andthen smoothed to remove the appearance of any junction 76 between thewalls 14, 16. Accordingly, the symmetric appearance of the meeting room10 is further increased since, when viewed from the area 20 outside ofthe workspace 18, the walls 12, 14, 16 appear as one continuous roundedplane.

In particular, it is contemplated that the exteriors 74 of the walls maybe formed from methyl methacrylate resin or similar substances thatbecome malleable when exposed to a given duration of heating.Accordingly, in a manner similar to techniques used for creating acontinuous countertop using methyl methacrylate resin or othersubstances such as Corian, seams between adjoining sections can beremoved. Corian is a registered trademark of Du Pont De Nemours and Co.Corp. of Delaware.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a composite construction element 77 for use inconstructing a wall system includes an interior formed from a rigid,self-supporting material, for example sheet metal 78, is surrounded by asoft padding, for example felt 80. The composite construction element 77may be utilized to for a variety of components of traditional wallsystems as well as the meeting room or similar open-concept structuresdescribed above. For example, the composite construction element 77, byincluding a rigid interior formed, for example, of sheet metal 78, isself-supporting. Accordingly, the composite construction element may beused to create the shields 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 (FIG. 1). In thisregard, the felt linings 80 provide additional sound insulation.Similarly, the composite construction element 77 may be used to line aninterior of the walls 12, 14, 16.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the composite construction element 77 may beused to form an insert 82 engaged with or skin 84 formed over atraditional wall 86. Furthermore, the composite construction element 77may be used to form various visual shields 88 or the like that aredesigned to extend from the traditional wall 86.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-10, it is contemplated that any of the featuresor designs described above may be incorporated into various wall designsincluding traditional walls (such as described with respect to FIG. 8)and may be utilized to create a meeting room having any of a widevariety of shapes and sizes without deviating from the spirit of theinvention. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a slit 90, as describedabove with respect to FIGS. 1-6, may be incorporated into thetraditional wall 86. Similarly, leg structures, benches, and the likemay also be incorporated into the traditional wall 86.

In this regard, any of the features described above may be incorporatedinto a wall system that is designed to form a meeting room of virtuallyany size or shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a meeting room 92having a hexagonal shape may be formed. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 10,a meeting room 94 having a rectangular shape may be formed. In thisregard, a meeting room may be formed in virtually any shape, forexample, a trapezoid, a pentagon, a hexagon, a heptagon, an octagon, andthe like. That is, the shape of the meeting room does not limit theability to incorporate the above-described features such as a slit,visual privacy shield, display elements, and the like.

Therefore, the above-described invention provides a wall system that iscapable of taking creating personal space within a work environmentwhile still providing the feel, look, and various advantages provided bylarge, open work environments that can be shared by many individuals.

It is specifically intended that the present invention not be limited tothe embodiments and illustrations contained herein, but include modifiedforms of those embodiments including portions of the embodiments andcombinations of elements of different embodiments as come within thescope of the following claims.

1. A system for defining a workspace comprising: a wall configured todefine an at least partially enclosed workspace; at least one slitextending horizontally across at least a portion of the wall andconfigured to provide individuals seated within the workspace with aconstant view of an area outside the workspace at both an immediateperiphery of the wall as well as areas at a distance from the wall; andwherein the at least one slit is dimensioned to provide individualslocated in the area outside of the workspace with a view into theworkspace when at a distance from the wall and restrict individualslocated in the area outside of the workspace from views into theworkspace when in close proximity to the wall.
 2. The system of claim 1further comprising a visual shield extending from a top of the wall atan angle away from the wall to provide visual privacy to individualslocated within the workspace.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein thevisual shield is further configured to angle into the workspace.
 4. Thesystem of claim 2 wherein the visual shield is further configured tofocus sound generated within the workspace about the workspace, restrictsound generated within the area outside of the workspace from enteringthe workspace, and restrict sound generated within the workspace fromexiting the workspace.
 5. The system of claim 3 wherein the wall has aheight of less than 4½ feet and the visual shield includes a verticalrise of less than 2½ feet.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein acombination of the height of the wall and the vertical rise of thevisual shield extending from the top of the wall provide visual privacyfrom a visual sight line extending from the area outside of theworkspace at a height of above 6 feet.
 7. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising a seat back located in the workspace and positioned proximateto and spaced from the wall to form a space between the seat back andthe wall configured to accommodate at least one of lights and displayelements.
 8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a shield extendingvertically from a top of the wall and horizontally into the workspaceand wherein the display elements are configured to project a displayonto the shield.
 9. The system of claim 7 further comprising a visualshield extending from a top of the wall and wherein a relativejuxtaposition of the wall and seat back allows a height of the wall tobe less than an average standing height of an individual without thevisual shield interfering with individuals of average height standingunder the visual shield.
 10. The system of claim 9 further comprising areturn shield extending below the seat back to mirror the visual shieldextending from the top of the wall.
 11. The system of claim 10 whereinthe return shield is configured to extend under a bench extending fromthe seat back into the workspace.
 12. The system of claim 11 furthercomprising a plurality of legs extending from the bench and wherein thelegs are configured to support the wall through the bench.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12 wherein the plurality of legs is arranged so as torequire the wall to abut an adjacent wall in order to remain upright.14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a seat back extending intothe workspace and positioned proximate to and extending substantiallyparallel to the wall to focus individuals toward a common point withinthe workspace.
 15. The system of claim 1 wherein the wall includesvertical wall portions and angled shield portions; and wherein thevertical wall portions and angled shield portions are dimensioned sothat a person of average height, located in the area outside of theworkspace, cannot see into the workspace but can see over the wall. 16.The system of claim 1 further comprising a lining arranged against thewall within the workspace comprising a sheet of metal configured to beself-supporting and a layer of cushioning material configured to encasethe sheet of metal to form a composite construction element that isrigid, substantially thin, and soft along edges of the sheet of metal.17. The system of claim 16 wherein the layer of cushioning materialincludes felt.
 18. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one slitincludes a plurality of slits having a vertical height of greater than 1inch and less than 4 inches and horizontal length at least equal to thevertical height and wherein the plurality of vertical slits are arrangedabout the wall along a common horizontal axis to form a horizontallyextending viewing line.
 19. The system of claim 1 wherein the wall isrounded along at least a horizontal axis and configured to engageanother wall rounded along at least a horizontal axis to form theworkspace into a round area.
 20. The system of claim 19 wherein the walland another wall include exteriors that are formed of a material thatbecomes malleable upon being subjected to extended durations ofincreased heat to form a smoothed junction between the wall and theanother wall.
 21. The system of claim 1 wherein the wall is configuredto engage another wall to form the workspace into at least one of atrapezoid, a pentagon, a hexagon, a heptagon, and an octagon.
 22. Thesystem of claim 21 wherein the wall and another wall include exteriorsthat are formed of a material that becomes malleable upon beingsubjected to extended durations of increased heat to form a smoothedjunction between the wall and the another wall.
 23. The system of claim1 wherein the workspace forms a conference room.
 24. A systemcomprising: a wall including vertical wall portions and angled shieldportions configured to divide an area into a workspace and an areaoutside of the workspace; a plurality of coaxially aligned aperturesformed in the wall to provide a viewing portal from the workspace intothe area outside of the workspace; and wherein the vertical wallportions and angled shield portions are dimensioned so that a person ofaverage height, located in the area outside of the workspace, cannot seeinto the workspace but can see over the wall.
 25. The system of claim 24wherein the vertical wall portions have a vertical height ofapproximately 5 feet and the angled shield portions have a verticalheight of approximately 1 foot and an angle of approximately 45 degreesfrom horizontal extending from the vertical wall portions.
 26. Thesystem of claim 24 wherein the angled shield portions include a sheet ofmetal configured to be self supporting and a layer of cushioningmaterial configured to encase the sheet of metal to form a compositeconstruction element that is rigid, substantially thin, and soft alongedges of the sheet of metal.
 27. The system of claim 26 wherein thelayer of cushioning material includes felt.
 28. The system of claim 24wherein the vertical wall portions have a vertical height ofapproximately 5 feet and the angled shield portions have a verticalheight of approximately 1 foot.
 29. The system of claim 28 furthercomprising: a slit extending horizontally across at least a portion ofthe vertical wall portions at a level designed to provide individualsseated within the workspace with a constant view of the area outside ofthe workspace at both an immediate periphery of the vertical wallportions as well as areas at a distance from the vertical wall portions;and wherein the slit includes dimensions configured to provideindividuals located in the area outside of the workspace with a viewinto the workspace when at a distance from the vertical wall portionsand restricts individuals located in the area outside of the workspacefrom views into the workspace when in close proximity to the verticalwall portions.
 30. The system of claim 29 wherein the slit extendshorizontally across at least a portion of the vertical wall portions ata vertical height of approximately 4 feet in the vertical wall portions.31. The system of claim 30 wherein the slit has a height of greater than1 inch and less than 4 inches at a vertical height of approximately 4feet in the vertical wall portions.